>> live from berlin, this is the "journal" on dw. a school shooting in the u.s. state of connecticut leaves dozens dead. we will go live for the latest. >> in germany, investigators say the attempted bombing here this week proves islamist terrorists are at work in the country. >> a german lawmaker plans to send patriot missiles to turkey's border with syria.

a shooting at a school in the united states -- 27 people reported dead. most of them children. >> it happened friday morning at an elementary school in the state of connecticut. a parent inside the school at the time reports hearing was sounded like at least 100 rounds being fired. >> this is the scene at sandy hook elementary school. sources saying the suspect is also among the dead and that the body is in a classroom at the school. police say they have recovered two weapons from the suspect. the students kindergarten through fourth graders were all evacuated to a nearby fire station. all schools in the area are under lock down right now. >> law enforcement officials has -- have confirmed the shooter has been found dead inside the school building. >> officials say the scene of the shooting is now secure.

>> there were several fatalities at the scene, both students and staff. the shooter is deceased inside the building. >> the governor took a call from president obama a little while ago, who was calling to express his condolences and condolences on behalf of the nation and pledged whatever resources the federal government can bring to bear to assist the families and to assist in the investigation. >> all right, let's go over to washington. our correspondent is there on the story for us. what more can you tell us right now? >> most of the information we are getting so far is unconfirmed. the police did not say much. they want to confirm how many people really died during the shooting. most networks talk of 27 being shot dead, 18 kids. all this is unconfirmed, but apparently the number of dead is

closer to 30 than 220 -- those are the reports we are getting. -- than to 20. this is an elementary school, so children who attend that school are between five and 10 years old. there are rumors of a second shooter floating around. that has not been confirmed. police said they were questioning a second person but did not call him a suspect. we do not know if the shooter shot himself or was shot by the police. some networks talk about up to four weapons, four shotguns. not confirmed yet. assault weapons are very dangerous. they are rapid-fire weapons, more military-style than anything else. that is a weapon you cannot buy in connecticut, but it is not hard to procure yourself in the united states. in the case of connecticut, you would just have to go to neighboring rhode island. if numbers are concerned, this is the worst school shooting in the history of the united

states. >> exactly, you picked up on that. the worst massacre the u.s. has seen at a school. will this even be an agenda- setting one in washington with lawmakers? of course, i am talking about gun control here. >> that is hard to say. we have had this horrible shooting in colorado in july were 12 people were killed, and that was in the middle of the presidential campaign, but it did not really change anything. consistently, you have the argument by the pro-gun lobby who say the laws are in place -- for example, in connecticut, assault weapons are banned. >> i apologize. we were having problems with the signal with our reporter in washington. we are obviously going to get more information to you about the school shooting as it comes in. >> we have also more information now on the attempted explosion

here in germany. earlier this week, a homemade bomb found. >> found in a small town in western germany. the federal prosecutor's office has taken over the investigation. the office since the attempted attack was the work of a radical islamist group. german media are now reporting that the bomb actually detonated and only failed to explode due to construction error. for more on that, we are joined now by our political correspondent. this case now in the hands of the federal investigators. what happens now? >> what i can tell you is that the latest is we know for a fact that early on monday afternoon, a man deposited a blue sports back on platform 1 @ bond central station -- at bonn central station. it is pretty apparent that an

attempt was made to detonate the bomb, possibly using some kind of remote control device. authorities believe they have found a number of batteries, which appear to have been activated in some way, and traces of such. in another development today, we have learned -- at least there have been reports -- that the construction of this device was almost identical with a similar design that can be found in an internet magazine which apparently has links to al qaeda in yemen. >> the interior minister in germany saying that this case proves that germany is in the cross hairs of jihad terrorism. how serious is that correct? that is certainly not something a politician says lightly. >> when you mention the g hottest threat, we can say that in germany, we have not had the kind of attacks on public transport we have seen in other european capitals like in madrid and in london, but it is worth remembering back in 2006, sued

his bombs were deposited on commuter trains in germany that could have caused immense human damage. they did not because of construction errors. those devices were also built according to internet designs, and those attacks were blamed on g hottest at the time. it is no wonder, therefore, the german authorities are so vigilant in pursuing homegrown islamist militants and four and g heists -- for an -- foreign jihadists. >> the german finance minister faced questions today not about money but instead on how a german neo-nazi gang was able to carry out a 13-year murder spree. >> that is because he was the interior minister for part of that time. he denied suggestions made by parliamentary inquiry that he mishandled the situation. the group calling itself the national socialist underground murdered 10 people, including nine immigrants.

enquiries trying to establish why it took the authorities that long to track down the killers. >> he has had to answer a lot of questions lately. he is currently finance minister, but his appearance before a parliamentary inquiry committee related to his earlier job as interior minister. >> the question is how did the while he was in office. >> during the 2006 public appeal about the murders, why was the decision made to play down a racist and right wing extremists motive? >> the right-wing terror cell managed to include germany's security agencies for years. the police, prosecutors, and intelligence services were fumbling in the dark for clues about the 10 unsolved murders. many believe it was a grave mistake not to conduct an investigation under the leadership of a central

leadership authority. >> during his time in office, mr. schauble was in charge of merging the departments for left and right extremism, which led to a reduced number of experts specializing in right-wing extremism. >> schauble rejected the criticism, saying that he had done nothing wrong in that it had not been his job to act as the country's chief police officer. >> germany's 16 federal states have given their backing to ban germany's far-right party. >> all but one of the states in the lower house of parliament voted in favor of opening legal proceedings at the constitutional court. one state abstain, warning that a failure could boost the neo- nazis. a previous attempt to ban the party in 2003 failed. the move now needs the backing of the second house of parliament and chancellor angela

merkel's cabinet. >> the german and parliament has voted to send patriot missiles to turkey in an attempt to prevent spillover attacks from syria's civil war. and it will be accompanied by up to 400 soldiers expected to be deployed in the coming months. >> germany is to send two patriot missile batteries to turkey by the end of next month. the mandate lasts for one year. the u.s. and the netherlands are also sending patriot to protect turkey from stray missiles. >> the reality is that assad is firing on citizens nearly every day. shells are hitting turkey and have killed a family there. a turkish plane was shot down over the mediterranean, and kassam rockets are being deployed against the civilian population. >> the german government has emphasized that the move is not in anticipation of a possible turkish invasion of syria or a possible no-fly zone.

>> we have implemented a number of safeguards, created a series of fire walls, which explicitly state that neither nato nor the federal republic of germany has any interest in becoming directly party to the conflict in syria. >> the decision is intended as a signal that nato members stick together. german lawmakers hope that could at least prevent the fighting in syria from growing further. >> bad news for european automakers. there appears to be no end in sight to the slump in new car sales. figures show auto sales in europe shrunk by over 10% in november. >> that was the 14th month in a row that purchases declined according to the european automobile manufacturers association. buyers in italy, spain, and

france proved especially wary. only britain bucked the trend with a rise in new car sales. a decade it has been since the inclusion of the german media empire. the state appellate court in munich today ruled that deutsche bank must pay damages to the heirs of the deceased mogul. >> the court ruled that the former ceo of deutsche bank, seen here, was responsible for the collapse of the world's largest licenser of film rights. in an interview, this credit worthiness was question, driving the conglomerate into bankruptcy. damages are expected to range anywhere from 120 million euros to 1.25 billion euros. it was also a big topic at the frankfurt stock exchange today. our market correspondent gave us this report from the trading floor.

>> for the deutsche bank, this verdict is more than just a verdict because it weighs heavily on the image of germany's biggest bank. also because of the fact that the trial is not the only one that the deutsche bank is faced with, and some analysts are fearing now that investors might lose their confidence in dutch bank and sell their shares, so this week, though to bancshares lost by more than 5%, also because of the fact that there has been proper running. >> let's take a quick look at some of the market numbers right now. the dax ended the day up, 7596. euro stoxx 50 up slightly. the euro is trading for $1.3161.

israel's foreign minister has resigned. >> that is right. his announcement comes a day after he was charged with fraud and breach of trust. the charges relate to allegations that he received classified documents concerning an investigation against him. he denies the charges and says he will now fight to clear his name. his resignation comes less than five weeks before national elections in israel. his party is running on a joint ticket with the prime minister's party. a united nations conference on the future of the internet has just ended in dubai with no agreement. >> the u.s. and many western countries refused to sign a treaty which they believed would pave the way for online censorship. the u.s., canada, and britain said some of the new provisions gave government too much control over internet use and content. the changes were supported by 89 countries including russia, china, and saudi arabia. >> coming up, as egypt prepares

to vote, why is the new constitution so divisive? we will talk about that. >> the fate of children in afghanistan as nato troops prepare to withdraw. >> stay with us.

>> welcome back, everyone. each faces a tense weekend. voting begins on a controversial constitution supported by president mohamed morsi. it has deeply divided the country. >> opposition groups are urging supporters to vote against it. morsi oppose the muslim brotherhood is calling on egyptians to support the document. -- morsi's muslim brotherhood is calling the egyptians to support the document. >> opponents said the document does not do enough to protect women and minorities. the leading activist has asked egypt's president to delay the referendum. >> it is shaping up to be a pivotal moment for the country

which has witnessed daily violence in the run-up to the referendum. >> we want to get a closer look at some of the most disputed articles of the new constitution. >> if adopted, the new constitution would change little for the egyptian president. he would remain at the center of egypt pose a political system as its commander in chief. one thing the constitution would change for the president is it would shorten his term from six years to just four and limit his time in office to just two terms. egypt's draft constitution lays down is lomb's sharia as the source of the country's laws. that is not new. islamic law is the principal source of legislation. the article remains unchanged. but another article in the new draft could lead to a more fundamentalist interpretation. if a dispute arises, scholars at

cairo's muslim university would get to decide how to interpret the law, which could mean more influence for conservative religious authorities. the old constitution granted egypt women several rights. it guaranteed equal status with men in the fields of political, social, cultural, and economic life without violation of the rules of islamic jurisprudence. that article has been dropped in the new draft. president morsi says it is because women are citizens just like everyone else. activists view the omission more critically. >> women are only mentioned as single mothers, the boy's face, or with us. they are not mention when it comes to health, political participation. this act treats women as second- class citizens. -- women are only mentioned as single mothers, divorcees, or widows.

>> the new constitution does guarantee jews and christians the right to practice their religion is as well as build houses of worship, but it does not mention other minority faiths like a high or the shiite branch of islam, giving rise to fears that these groups will face increased discrimination -- minority faiths like baha'i or the shia branch of islam. >> this article will lead to a heated dispute because it turns the regulation of public morality into a state-run a fair. worst-case scenario, there would be a kind of religious police like saudi arabia's committee for the promotion of virtue and the prevention of vice. >> the draft constitution contains few articles about the role of egypt's military, but the army will remain a force to be reckoned with.

>> all right. for more on the draft constitution in egypt, we have decided to bring in a professor from berlin's humboldt university. you worked for the united nations. you read this draft constitution. let me ask you -- are there provisions in this constitution to protect religious minorities in egypt? >> well, this is constitution only for islam people, who embraced the islamic faiths, also for jews and christians. the three main religions. but the baha'i are not protected. this is made very clear. it is the sunni and not the shia

branch that is protected. it is in the constitution. >> this is not a constitution for all egyptians? >> a constitution should be a kind of tone for everyone, but it is not a home for everyone. that is a critical point. in article two, sharia principles are the basis of national legislation, so secular law will be permeated by religious principles and norms, and this is a real weakness. >> in whose interest is this constitution? do you believe morsi is using this constitution to create a kind of legal means of pushing through the muslim brotherhood agenda? >> i do not think so. on the other hand, one should not ignore the good elements. there is a large section on human rights.

they embrace the rule of law. there are very good elements, and it very much will depend on factual circumstances how seriously this all will be taken. the guarantees on paper -- will they become reality? law in action -- is it really what is in the constitution? black or white -- will add to be relative? >> it seems to be somewhat disturbing right now as it is. professor, thank you very much for coming in to talk with us. >> you are welcome. >> all right, you may remember this name -- anna politkovskaya. she has become an icon for journalistic freedom. until now, no one has been punished for her death, but today, a russian court sentenced a former policeman for his

involvement in the killing. >> the court found a former policeman guilty of tracking her movements and providing the gun used to kill her. he was paid the equivalent of 115,000 euros. he got a reduced sentence after striking a plea bargain. >> he is sentenced to 11 years of hard labor with strict conditions over his imprisonment. >> she was shot in the entrance to her apartment in october 2006. in the official version of events, and middlemen from chechnya -- a middle man from chechnya hire the police officer to organize the killing. but her family and former colleagues are angry that names of those who ordered the killing and the motive remained a mystery. >> investigators have said he

does not have to name the people who ordered the killing, even though it was a precondition of his plea bargain. we are worried their reasons are political and that the investigators back down on purpose. >> her colleagues are carrying out their own investigation into the murder. the family vows to appeal the verdict. they want him to get the maximum sentence -- 20 years in prison. >> as nato-led forces prepare to withdraw from afghanistan, concern is growing inside the country about the future. combat troops are due to leave the country by 2014. >> after that, responsibility for security will pass to the afghan police and the army, but the afghan forces have frequently been infiltrated by militants, and many question weather they will be able to cope. >> some of the victims of recent violence are often the most defenseless.

>> seven years old, just a child, and yet, way ahead of her years. we take her from the streets of kabul. she has not been here since the day her two sisters were killed in september. >> it happened over there around the corner. i heard a loud bang, and i ran over there, but the police would not let me through. someone called my mom, and i cried on the phone. >> she knows that her sisters are no longer alive. >> they are not there anymore. may be they are happy in paradise. >> one of the sisters was 11. she wanted to become a doctor. the other was 14 and dreamed of becoming a skateboard world champion. she loved skate-istan, a project

designed to give hope for children can escape the world of war and give hope, but four children from the project died. oliver from australia came to kabul five years ago, and the project grew from there, but what now? >> it is something that is working. we need to connect with children, we use in afghanistan -- with youth in afghanistan. they must have some sort of base to build up. no foreigner can change anything in afghanistan. >> the children are the future of afghanistan, the unicef says around five children are killed or wounded in afghanistan every day. children are also being exploited as suicide bombers. the bomber who killed the

children was no older than they were. >> before we go, here is the latest on our top story, the shooting at the u.s. school. officials in the united states and the state of connecticut confirm at least 20 people have been killed in a shooting rampage at an elementary school. as many as 18 of those fatalities may have been children. >> police say the shooter is among the dead, and there are reports he was connected to the school, but there are no indications yet as of a motive of what will go down in one of the worst mass shootings in u.s. history. >> that will wrap up this edition of the "journal." >> thanks for watching. captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org--